Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice doesn't belong to me. It is owned by the great mangaka Higuchi Tachibana.

A/N: Well.. I guess this would be the last chapter! Please read and review! Thank you very much! XP

Oh, and another thing: I think this is gonna suck.. Oh well.. Still hope some people would like it! I KNOW IT'S SILLY! But I just had to write it down! Silly, silly me! (makes silly face)

It's not my best work but I'll post it anyway. Silly silly silly.

Chapter 5: Promise You'll Stay?

Natsume threw a ball in the air and caught it. He threw it again and due to his frustration, he reduced it to ashes.

Will I ever get a chance to tell her? Maybe I'm not supposed to tell her, anyway, considering the things that happened.

Maybe it's a message saying it won't work out anyway.

He sighed and rolled over his bed.

I'd give it one last try and if it blows up in my face, I give up, he thought, feeling exhausted physically and mentally.

Going after a girl who thinks you hate her is hard work, he thought glumly.

OOO

Natsume woke up, feeling determined more than ever. All I have to do is put that plan into action. He gathered a few pieces of paper and began writing. He glanced at the package he bought in Central Town. Hope this works..

OOO

Mikan pranced into the classroom and did the usual routine. After being hit by Hotaru, helped by Yuu-chan and greeted by Ruka-pyon, she went to her seat.

A certain bird happened to catch her eye. It was tapping furiously at the window and she went over to open it. The dove landed on her shoulders and on its feet, a note was tied. Mikan quickly untied the note from its leg and saw a..

Picture of a fountain.

Huh? This is the fountain in front of the elementary school building. She stared at it for a few moments before thinking, I guess I'll have to go there. But I don't really know what I'll see. Am I supposed to look for something, she wondered.

She shrugged and went back to her seat. Ruka glanced sideways at her and grinned. Hope this works, Natsume.

OOO

Mikan hurried out of the room as soon as classes were done. To the fountain, it is! She ran out of the building and to the fountain. She knelt on the ground trying to catch her breath. I guess I'm out of exercise, she thought sheepishly.

Anyway.. She circled the fountain until she saw a piece of paper wedged between the bricks. She pried it out, careful not to rip the paper. She opened it and stared. A fireplace, this time? Which fireplace is it, anyway? The school must have hundreds of these, she cried to herself.

Wait a minute.. The person drew a big cozy chair, too.. And I think I saw one like it in the..

"Library!", she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. She turned on her heel and quickly ran up the three flights of stairs. She burst into the room, getting a nasty glare from the librarian in the process. She hurried to the fireplace, but to her dismay, it looked untouched. She looked closely at the fireplace when she saw a small piece of paper taped to the bottom corner. She squinted at it and removed it. Opening it, she saw a picture of a..

Book? What kind of book? There are thousands and thousands of books in the library!

She looked more closely at the drawing and saw something small scribbled at the center of the drawing. She couldn't make out the words but she happened to read the word 'raven'.

She quickly went to the library computer and punched in 'raven'. Three entries appeared.

- Ravens in Europe

- Ravens: Types And What They Eat

But a certain title caught her eye. 'The Prince and The Raven' Her eyebrows shot up but she shrugged. It's worth a try. She asked the librarian for help and when she had the book in her arms, she settled on a chair and flipped through the pages.

I guess I'm looking for another drawing. She paused when something fell out. I wonder what drawing thi--Wait. This isn't a drawing. Something's written here! Finally, that person got tired of drawing, she thought wryly.

She looked at it and was surprised. 'Go to the tree where your instincts take you'

Huh? Tree.. All I can think of is the tree where Nats--Huh? She shook her head violently to get rid of those thoughts. She turned red just by saying his name in her head.

Why the hell am I thinking of that pervert, she thought, still blushing furiously. Well, whatever.

She jumped up and returned the book to its place. Then she just stood there mulling things over. The sakura tree, huh? It's worth a shot.

She took her time going to the tree and was hesitant to get any closer. Am I at the right place? Is it possible that..? Nah.

Natsume plus Mikan equals to.. not gonna happen at all!

You like him, don't you, a voice whispered in her ear. Even if he is mean to you, you're still attracted to him. Am I right or AM I RIGHT? A soft laugh rang in her ears.

"No, of course not", she said out loud. "Not gonna happen!"

She approached the tree cautiously and circled around it. Nothing here but a pile of leaves. She stared at it, lost in thought. Maybe I'm at the wrong place. She was about to leave when he heard a rustling.

She stared.

And stared.

Buried under the leaves was a big fuzzy bear with a red ribbon around its neck. It had fallen to its side and in its hands was the final note. It read:

This is for you. Since I'm not really an expert when it comes to these things,

I bought this bear and hoped for the best.

I'm sorry for.. You know.

- N

Mikan looked at the note, with tears welling up in her eyes. She hugged the bear tight and stood there for a few minutes, still unable to believe what was happening.

Natsume..

She turned and ran, looking for the boy who gave her the bear, which she would treasure forever.

After about an hour of running and searching, she was already exhausted. Where is he, she thought frantically. I looked everywhere! Everywhere! Everywhere but.. our classroom.

Duh! She smacked herself on the forehead. She hurried to the room and opened the door quickly. Her eyes scanned the room until her eyes focused on a certain person: Hyuuga Natsume.

Natsume caught her eye and his eyes widened when he saw her clutching the bear tightly in her hands. He covered his face with his manga and was aware that Mikan was slowly making her ways towards him.

Hotaru, Yuu-chan, Ruka, Koko-chan and Otonashi were now watching them intently. The rest of the class noticed them and followed their gaze.

"Hey.. Natsume?", Mikan said softly.

By this time, Ruka-pyon and Koko-chan were grinning widely.

Yuu-chan and Otonashi were both smiling while Hotaru's face remained blank but there was something in her eyes that vaguely looked like.. affection?

"Natsume..?" Mikan was getting a tinny bit impatient so she grasped Natsume's arm and pulled him up gently. She put her hands on his shoulders and forced him to look at her eyes.

Sumire was looking murderous and was about to charge at Mikan when Koko-chan threw a book at her face and she fell down, stars twinkling above her head. (I love youu, Koko-chan )

"What..?", Natsume was trying with all his might not to look at those beautiful russet eyes of hers.

"Was the bear from you?", she asked gently.

The class held their breath, waiting for his answer.

Mikan was looking at him expectantly and he finally answered, "Yes.."

She smiled at this and asked, "Well, why?"

"Why what?", he asked back, stalling for time. She rolled her eyes at him but smiled.

"Oh.. oh alright", he said, throwing up his hands. He put them back in his pockets and stared at the blackboard behind Mikan.

"You see.. You see.. I-I.."

"Spit it out already, Natsume!", the class yelled.

And spit it out, he did. "I like you, Mikan!", he blurted out. And immediately, he went red at this.

Silence. (You could hear a pin drop at this kind of silence )

Finally, Mikan smiled. She joked, "Well, you certainly have a funny way of showing it", she grinned. She stepped closer to him and whispered, "I like you, too, Natsume.." But the whole class heard anyway.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him closer for a hug. With that, the whole class applauded.

Natsume was stunned. Is this even for real? She.. she likes me, too, he thought in disbelief.

The he noticed her arms around him. He felt his face growing hotter and hotter by the second. He hesitated, but only for a second, and he hugged her back awkwardly. She pulled him closer to him and was encouraged by her response.

Suddenly, his pride was the last thing on his mind. He didn't care if the whole school would whisper and whisper behind his back tomorrow morning. All he cared about was the person he liked for so long shared the same feelings. He hugged her tighter this time.

He then heard her murmur, "Promise you'll stay, Natsume?"

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The whole class applauded even louder and didn't notice Jinno-sensei, about to come in. He stopped in his tracks and took in the scene before him.

Hyuuga-san and.. Sakura-san? He maintained his strict face but managed a little chuckle. Interesting. Not wanting to disturb the two, he went back to the teachers' room and postponed the class.

Hotaru and Yuu-chan glanced at each other and smiled. Ruka was still watching the two and let out a whistle, imitating a wolf.

Otonashi went back to her seat and started meditating. She concentrated for a few moments before smiling. I see something good waiting to happen, managing a small smile.

Koko-chan grinned when he read Mikan's mind.

I guess this one's for keeps, Natsume. He grinned ridiculously again.

Meanwhile, Mikan sat beside Natsume, smiling with content written all over her face. He was trying hard to read his shounen manga again when he felt her hand loop through his and squeeze it warmly. He smiled behind his manga and returned the gesture.

Who knows what will happen next?

A/N: Done! Please review! If you like it.. say so in a review. If you didn't like it.. say so in a review, also! But go easy on me, please? Reviewssssss!

Oh yeah.. 'The Prince and the Raven' is from Princess Tutu, a strange and beautiful anime that I also like.